Helping Strangers
by SkywardGratis
Summary: AU. Set after Johanna's death. When an elevator brings Kate and Rick together, fate seems to have it's own plan for the pair of them.


_**This was a random idea that popped into my head; I'm meant to be working on my NaNoWriMo novel but this forced me to write it. **_

_**Obviously its AU, so don't take it too seriously. **_

She hadn't even realised there was anyone else in the elevator with her until the redhead girl spoke. Glancing around she noticed a tall man stood behind the pushchair, a backpack over one shoulder and a laptop bag over the other. It was with great surprise that she realised that he looked familiar. It was only a sharp pain shooting through her stomach that stopped her from immediately realising she was sharing an elevator with her favourite author, Richard Castle. Once the pain subsided she ran a hand through her brown curls and leant heavily against the wall. Risking a glance back towards the author she couldn't help but smile as he talked enthusiastically with the girl she assumed was his daughter. As she watched their interaction her hands automatically came to rest on her bulging stomach, she would soon be in the same situation; another person's life depending on her. That thought scared her more than it should have; her baby would be here in less than a month and she still didn't feel ready for it. Her thoughts returned to the day she found out she was pregnant.

_She'd been out drinking the night before and thought nothing of it until her hangover sickness carried on throughout the day. Something inside her convinced her to see a doctor but she couldn't have told anyone what it was. She'd been feeling slightly better until the doctor dropped the news that would change her life on her. She had only recently been accepted for a teaching job at a multi-language school and now her whole life was about to change… all because of one stupid mistake. She hadn't even realised at the time what was happening, her blood stream already flowing with alcohol when she pressed the needle into her veins. What she did only hit her the following morning when she woke up naked in bed with a guy she didn't even remember meeting… she'd been so stupid. She had left without a word that morning and hadn't looked back. That was until she found out she was pregnant. Kate Beckett was 22 years old, pregnant by a man she didn't even remember meeting and all alone. Her mother had been killed a year before, a freak car accident that saw her spinning on a patch of black ice and disappearing off the side of the freeway. Her father had taken the accident badly, he spent the best part of the first 6 months drinking himself into oblivion until one day he'd stumbled from their house out onto the main road and stepped out in front of a truck. Kate was left devastated, with no other family to speak of she had inherited the house in Manhattan and returned home from university to find it filled with memories that she didn't want to see. That had been her main reason for following her father's actions and turning to alcohol. She'd always been a bit of a wild child at university but she took it to a new extreme after her father was killed. She became no stranger to the drink and drugs world of the surliest clubs in the area. She slowly found herself seeking a new thrill, something bigger, something better… her world became one big rollercoaster ride, until she had been handed the news that there was now someone else relying on her. _

A jolt of the elevator and flickering of the lights caused her thoughts to return to the present and she stumbled slightly, her weight unbalanced due to the baby growing inside of her. A pair of arms grasped onto her shoulders and she found herself being pushed back against the wall. Glancing up she was met by the concerned gaze of Richard Castle. He made sure she was safely leant against the wall before turning to the panel, his finger descending on the emergency button. A voice sounded out through the metal box,

"Sorry about that folks, the elevator seems to have broken, maintenance will be working on getting it fixed soon… meanwhile please sit tight." Kate gasped her hands flying to her stomach as pain rippled through it. She turned away from the concerned gaze of the other occupants and tried to level her breathing. In the background she heard Richard talking in a low voice, explaining the situation to his daughter and she focused on the tone of his voice until the pain had passed. She could feel concern radiating off of him in waves but she kept her body turned away from him. Once she felt able to stand on her own she pressed the call button and asked how long they would likely be stuck in there.

"I'm sorry Miss, I don't know right now. Maintenance are on their way so we should know soon enough." She sighed but thanked the man regardless, there was nothing to do but wait it out. She leant back against the wall and tried to relax her body. As she did she suddenly became aware of a liquid trickling down her legs and gasped as a pain shot through her body.

"Oh no. no no no no." She kept on uttering the words as the pain intensified and suddenly she felt herself being slid down to the floor. His voice pierced through her head and she found herself focusing on his words as the pain began to subside.

"Shh… just breathe… it's alright… it's alright." She risked a glance up at him and smiled as the pain finally subsided. "Are you okay?" He knew it was a pretty silly question but he didn't know what else to say, it wasn't every day you got stuck in an elevator with one of the most beautiful people you'd ever seen.

"Err… I think my waters just broke." His eyes widened and he glanced down at her stomach.

"Oh god" she nodded and dropped her head forwards, gritting her teeth as another bolt of pain shot through her. "Right… well I'm Rick, can you tell me your name?" She gasped as his hand clasped around hers but couldn't help but grip it tightly as pain continued to assault her body.

"Kate…" She uttered her name like it was a foreign concept to be introducing herself to someone. She had a moment of panic when she realised she had given him her real name, she couldn't remember the last time anyone had called her anything but her street name 'Annabelle'. Her attention turned from her thoughts as the red head called for her Dad.

"Just one moment Alexis." Kate watched as he knelt beside her, his hand still clasped around hers and leant across the small space to drag the pushchair closer to her. "Alexis, this is Kate. Kate this is my daughter Alexis." The young girl stared at her for a minute, her eyes focused on her stomach before she stuck out her little hand.

"Nice to meet you Miss Kate." Kate smiled at her reaching over to shake her hand.

"You too Alexis." Kate was about to say something else but she forgot what it was as pain cascaded through her body. She reflexively gripped Rick's hand and he squeezed back, his other hand reaching out rub over her stomach. Shivers shot through her body as he touched her and he pulled his hand. She struggled to speak through the pain but eventually managed to whisper

"Sorry… not you." He stared at her for a moment; his eyes seemed to burn into hers as she fought against herself to not break his gaze. He seemed satisfied by whatever it was he found in hers and returned his hand to her stomach. She smiled gratefully at him and tried to articulate how thankful she was. "There's not been anyone around since I found out I was pregnant." She didn't know why she'd told him that but something inside her told her she could trust him implicitly even though she had only just met him. She didn't know if it was because he was her favourite author but she couldn't bring herself to hide from him, his eyes always seemed to look as though they already knew all her secrets. A voice sounded out of the small speaker by her head and she turned to look towards it.

"Maintenance are trying to fix the elevator at the moment, we should get you moving again soon." Rick's voice spoke over the end of the other voice, concern evident in his tone

"There's a pregnant lady in here, she's just gone into labour can you hurry the hell up and get us out?" They both heard a rustling and the lights flickered again before a different voice sounded again

"We're working as fast as we can Mr. Castle… Sorry about this." Rick replied with his thanks before turning back to Kate.

"You doing okay there?" She offered him a small smile and squeezed his hand.

"Thanks to you… don't know what I'd be like without you." She realised she sounded like a little girl as soon as the words left her mouth but before she could say anything else pain returned to her stomach and she tried to shift away from it.

"Try to relax Kate… It's going to be alright…" His voice was soft but she could sense the underlying panic and squeezed his hand in hope of offering him so reassurance. "Shall I tell you a story?" She shrugged her shoulders as pain continued to rack her body, it seemed to be coming quicker and lasting longer she noticed. It probably meant something but she'd missed every single appointment the doctors had given her since she found out she was pregnant. Her days were spent sorting out her parents possessions and selling on what she didn't want to keep anymore. She didn't go out but she had taken a job working at a local shop to make some extra money for when the baby arrived. She hadn't decided what she was going to do when the baby did arrived but now she realised she was probably going to have to think about it. Rick's voice washed over her as he spun a tale about a red haired princess who had a pet tiger and she couldn't help but wonder if the story was for her benefit or for Alexis'. The young girl seemed more than content to sit in her pushchair quietly, a stuffed monkey tucked in beside her. Kate noticed that her gaze kept drifting from her father's enthusiastic hand movements to Kate and she offered her a small smile as the pain subsided again.

"Mr. Castle?" He jumped as the voice interrupted his storytelling but quickly regained his wits as the voice continued. "Maintenance are working as fast as they can but it looks to be worse than we first thought… it could be quiet sometime before we can get you out of there… we're looking to see if there's any way to get a doctor in there with you." He murmured his thanks before turning back to Kate.

"What can I do?" She stared at him, sure that her fear would be evident in her eyes.

"I'm going to have this baby in here aren't I?" She knew it was a pretty silly response to his question but she didn't know what else to say. He bit his lip before nodding slightly.

"It looks like you might well do… Do you know what you're doing?" His words were disjointed but she managed to figure out his meaning. It seemed the playboy author wasn't quite so apt at speaking when in a situation like this.

"No… this is my first baby… and I…" She broke off as tears welled in her eyes. Shutting them quickly she willed the tears away before turning back to him, "I didn't go to the doctor's appointments either." He nodded and looked around the small elevator.

"Okay… so we need towels… or blankets or something…" He seemed to muttering to himself and before she could say anything to him he'd moved away and was rummaging through the basket at the bottom of the pushchair. He placed a blanket and a small towel down beside her, along with a bottle of water and looked around at what else there was. Standing he jabbed the call button and waited impatiently for someone to answer.

"Can you get a doctor in here?" His tone was clipped and the response he received was immediate.

"No… there's only a small hatch in the roof, it's not big enough for a person if we could get someone down there." He sighed and ran his hands over his face.

"Right… well this baby is going to end up being delivered in here if you can't get us out soon so can you get a first aid kit, some towels and some warm water in here?" He paced along one side of the elevator and sighed.

"We'll do our best Mr. Castle… Sorry once…" His voice cut the other man off with a sharp retort

"Just get the stuff in here." He leant against the wall of the elevator before suddenly turning his attention back to Kate. She was still sat in the same place but he could see the pain etched across her face. "Kate… how far apart are they?" Kate's eyes shot up to meet his and he could see the panic hidden in them.

"Not long." Her voice was rough and he knew she was fighting against the noise her body wanted to make. Sitting next to her, he grasped both of her hands and leant down to meet her eyes.

"The pain's only going to get worse, try to let out those screams when they need to alright?" She stared at him shocked, how had he read her so well? Her thoughts were interrupted as pain rippled through her body again. A quick glance at her watch told her it had only been three minutes since her last contraction. Rick leant forwards and tilted her head towards his chest and slipped his arms around her shoulder. "Scream Kate… scream sweetheart." Neither of them seemed to notice the term of endearment but Kate moved her head forwards and screamed into his chest. Her hands grasped the lapels of his suit jacket and she felt tears slipping down her cheeks as the pain continued to rack her small frame. She knew she'd lost weight since her mother's death but it was only know that she realised how much; she had no energy and all but collapsed into Rick as the scream subsided. "That's it Kate… try to breathe deeply…" As she struggled to catch her breath she became aware of the sound of ringing coming from his pocket. She shifted back slightly, her eyes closed and her focus on breathing slowly as he checked his phone.

"Do you have a Doctor I can call?" Kate shook her head, she didn't want him calling her doctor anyway, and she had never really liked the woman all that much anyway. "Okay… I'm going to call the man who delivered Alexis okay?" She nodded stiffly as another contraction ripped through her. His hand suddenly appeared around hers and she gripped it tightly, a groan escaping her clenched teeth.

It seemed like hours before the call was answer but Rick was too focused on listening to what the doctor had to say as he told him about the situation. The contraction had passed as he ended the call and faced Kate again.

"It's going to be okay… Doctor says you need to try and save your energy for the actual birth… apparently you'll know when it's time to push but until then we just need to try and get you as comfortable as possible…" His voice seemed to be a lot stronger than she guessed he was feeling but she was grateful he was keeping calm nevertheless. She risked a glance at Alexis and was surprised to see the girl's eyes focused on her. She offered her a small smile and watched as Alexis smiled and snuggled down into her blanket, obviously planning on sleeping. Rick's gaze followed Kate's and smiled when he saw Alexis settling down to sleep. Pushing the pushchair back until it hit the other side of the elevator; he checked his daughter was okay before turning back to Kate. It wouldn't be long until the next contraction and he wanted to try and get her more comfortable.

"Kate? Do you think you can stand for a minute?" He watched as the brunette seemed to concentrate her attention on the floor before nodding. He couldn't believe the situation he had ended up in. He'd only planned on popping in to drop off his latest chapters to Gina, but he was glad that he'd been able to help Kate out. She might not be saying it but he could see the panic deep in her eyes. Stepping forwards he helped her stand before rushing to lay the blanket out he'd found on the floor, he took off his jacket and bunched it up before helping Kate lower herself back onto it.

"Is that any better?" Kate nodded and he knelt in front of her as another contraction rippled through her. She gritted her teeth but a small scream of pain still managed to escape. His hands framed her face and he stroked softly as they rode out the pain together. A crash from above them caught his attention and he felt Kate stiffen underneath him. He offered a small smile before standing up as the grate on the roof of the elevator opened. A man's head appeared through the gap and he and Rick exchanged a few words before he reached up to take the bag the man was holding. Dropping in onto the floor Rick began pulling out the contents quickly. Kate stared at him and couldn't help but laugh as he struggled to empty it.

"Calm down Rick… you're making me nervous." She didn't know what made her say it but it seemed to return his attention to the room and he nodded, offering her a small smile. He laid out the blankets beside Kate and stood the flask of warm water next to that. Opening the first aid kit he found some sterilising liquid and a pair of small scissors. Steeling a glance at Kate he returned her tentative smile. "You look like you know what you're doing." He chuckled before scooting back towards her.

"Not really… I was only there for the actual birth with Alexis…" She stared at him but before she could say anything pain shot through her body again.

"God I want to push…" Her voice was strained and he picked up the bottle of cool water and offered her a drink as the contraction passed.

"We need to get your trousers off before you can do that…" He spoke quietly but his words still had her eyes snapping open to meet his gaze. She glanced down at her legs and realised he was right… she hadn't realised the difficulty in her clothing when she'd put them on that morning… they were the only pair of trousers that still fitted her and she'd put them almost automatically. Before she realised what was happening he'd unbutton her trousers, thrown a towel over her lap and pulled her trousers off. She stared at him for a moment before laughing, he grinned cheekily at her before his mouth opened of its own accord.

"You're beautiful you know?" Her mouth dropped open and a blush appeared across her cheeks. He smiled tentatively and before he could apologise her features had changed to express her pain and a scream was torn from within her. He grasped her hands and knelt between her opened legs. "Push Kate… Push…" She lifted her head to meet his gaze and gritted her teeth, she moaned as she pushed as hard as she could. He dropped one of her hands; his other still gripped by hers, and lifted the towel covering her lap. Kate's screams stopped and he scrambled up to see her face. She offered him a slight smile and he wiped the sweat from her forehead.

"You're doing really well Kate…" She moaned as another contraction rushed through her and focused all her energy on pushing; his hand was still grasped in hers and she wondered how he planned on delivering her back with one hand. Before she realised what was happening she felt him shift and suddenly his hands were pushing her legs further apart.

"What..?" Her confusion distracted her from what he was doing and then his hand returned to hold hers. She glanced down; he was now knelt between her spread legs, one towel covering his trousers and another sat beside him. He'd moved the flask of warm water to within his reach and she couldn't help but think that he truly had more idea what was going on with her body than she did. Her thoughts were interrupted as his commands started again.

"Push as hard as you Kate..." She gritted her teeth and focus on doing as he told her. Pain shot through her and she struggled to catch her breath. "Relax… you're doing so well Kate… just a few more pushes and you'll get to meet your baby." His voice soothed her and she focused on pushing as another contraction washed over her. He continued to comfort her as the next few contractions passed and his right hand remained tightly in hers.

"I can see the head Kate… just one more now… come on, you can do this." His faith in her seemed to spur her with energy and she grunted as she forced her body into a final push. He removed his hand from hers as the baby was delivered and she slumped back against the wall. She didn't look at what he was doing but the noise of his movements seemed to relax her slightly.

Rick grabbed the towel and wrapped it around the baby as he rushed to open the flask of warm water. He rubbed the sterilising liquid over the umbilical cord and cut it swiftly. A cry sounded out within the metal box and Rick smiled at Kate.

"Congratulations Kate… You've got a beautiful baby boy."


End file.
